Shakun Batra is the director / co-writer of the widely acclaimed family drama - Kapoor & Sons (since 1921). The film went on to win 5 Filmfare awards (one of the most prestigious Indian film awards) including best story and screenplay for Shakun. The film has also now been listed in the decade’s top 25 Hindi language films by a very prestigious Film Critique Organisation in India called Film Companion.
At 38, he’s already made two successful feature films, both backed by a powerhouse studio - Dharma Productions. He proved his versatility when he directed the hilarious low budget mockumentary ‘Alia Bhatt - Genius of the Year’ in 2014, which went viral and became the second most watched YouTube video in India that year. He’s also directed several commercials for Spotify, Google, VW, Philips etc. and has worked with renowned international celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Rosie Huntington, Priyanka Chopra and Shahrukh Khan.
Batra is also a Virtual Reality enthusiast and the founder and curator of the VR vertical at the prestigious Mumbai International Film Festival or MAMI as it is popularly know. He’s a graduate from the Vancouver Film School and in the past has assisted academy award winner Errol Morris and Emmy award winner Christopher Wilcha during their stints in India. He did his college from St.Stephen’s, Delhi.
Shakun is an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community and is a strong advocate for gender balanced workspaces and safety on set. With his company Jouska Films Pvt Ltd, he is looking to tell a diverse range of human stories.
Currently, Other than working on his third feature film in India, he’s represented by CAA in the USA, and is also the executive producer on a documentary for Netflix and is developing a mini TV Series for Fox Searchlight.